The present invention relates to a tube-side sequentially pulsable-flow, shell-and-tube heat exchanger apparatus and a chemical processing system comprising and methods of heat exchange employing the same.
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1. A chemical processing system comprising a means for heat exchange between a process fluid and a heat exchange fluid, the means for heat exchange comprising: a heat exchanger apparatus which includes a plurality of tubes, the tubes being open-ended and defining enclosed volumetric spaces between t
1. A chemical processing system comprising a means for heat exchange between a process fluid and a heat exchange fluid, the means for heat exchange comprising: a heat exchanger apparatus which includes a plurality of tubes, the tubes being open-ended and defining enclosed volumetric spaces between the open ends thereof, and a portion of the heat exchanger apparatus defines a shell-side flow pathway therethrough and another portion of the heat exchanger apparatus defines a tube-side flow pathway therethrough, the tube-side flow pathway comprising the enclosed volumetric spaces of the tubes;a source of the process fluid comprising a liquid;a process fluid effluent receiving means;a source of the heat exchange fluid; anda heat exchange fluid effluent receiving means, wherein the source of the heat exchange fluid is in sequential fluid communication with the shell-side flow pathway in the heat exchanger apparatus and the heat exchange fluid effluent receiving means; the source of the process fluid is in sequential fluid communication with the tube-side flow pathway in the heat exchanger apparatus and the process fluid effluent receiving means; the shell-side and tube-side flow pathways are in indirect heat exchange communication with each other via the walls of the tubes; and the shell-side and tube-side flow pathways lack fluid communication with each other wherein the heat exchanger apparatus further comprises a means for sequentially pulsing a plurality of liquid flows therein, and the means for sequentially pulsing a plurality of liquid flows being in sequentially pulsable fluid communication with the enclosed volumetric spaces of at least two of the tubes wherein: (a) the portion of the heat exchanger that defines the shell-side flow pathway comprises a shell defining spaced-apart shell-side fluid inlet and outlet conduits and an enclosed volumetric space, the shell-side fluid inlet conduit being in sequential fluid communication with the enclosed volumetric space of the shell and the shell-side fluid outlet conduit, thereby establishing the shell-side flow pathway;(b) the portion of the heat exchanger that defines the tube-side flow pathway comprises spaced-apart tube-side inlet and outlet portions and the plurality of tubes, the tube-side inlet portion defining a tube-side fluid inlet conduit and an inlet plenum, the tube-side outlet portion defining a tube-side fluid outlet conduit and an outlet plenum, the process fluid entering the inlet plenum pump-pressurized and flowing at a pumping flow rate, the tubes having walls and spaced-apart inlet and outlet ends respectively defining inlet and outlet apertures therein, the walls of the tubes defining the enclosed volumetric spaces thereof and having inner diameters, the tubes being spaced apart from each other and contained within the enclosed volumetric space of the shell, the tube-side fluid inlet conduit being in sequential fluid communication with: the inlet plenum; the inlet apertures, enclosed volumetric spaces, and outlet apertures of the tubes; the outlet plenum; and the tube-side fluid outlet conduit, thereby establishing the tube-side flow pathway; and(c) the means for sequentially pulsing a plurality of liquid flows comprises at least one impeller blade which is moved so as to temporarily distribute more process fluid to some tubes and to temporarily distribute less process fluid to other tubes while maintaining a net flow rate of the plurality of the tubes at the pumping flow rate, the at least one blade is disposed in the inlet plenum of the inlet portion of the heat exchanger such that a nearest portion of the at least one blade is within an unobstructed pulsing-effective distance from the inlet apertures of the inlet ends of the tubes and oriented perpendicularly to the length of the tubes, thereby establishing sequentially pulsable fluid communication between the means for sequentially pulsing a plurality of liquid flows, or the pulse-effecting portion thereof, and, successively, the inlet apertures of the inlet ends of the tubes, the enclosed volumetric spaces of the tubes, and the outlet apertures of the outlet ends of the tubes wherein the unobstructed pulsing-effective distance between the nearest portion of at least one blade and the inlet apertures of the inlet ends of the tubes is less than or equal to 0.1 to 4.0 times an average of the inner diameters of the inlet apertures. 2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the tube-side inlet portion further defines a shaft access conduit and the means for sequentially pulsing a plurality of liquid flows comprises an impeller assembly, the impeller assembly comprising a rotatable shaft, bearing, and impeller, the impeller comprising the pulse-effecting portion of the impeller assembly and having at least two blades, each blade having a nearest portion that is within the unobstructed pulsing-effective distance to the inlet apertures of the inlet ends of the tubes, the bearing having a portion defining a shaft receiving aperture and having an exterior contacting surface, the portion defining the shaft receiving aperture being in sealing, low-friction operative contact to the rotatable shaft and the exterior contacting surface being in operative contact to the tube-side inlet portion at the shaft access conduit. 3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger further comprises at least one baffle, the baffle being disposed in the portion that defines the shell-side flow pathway in the enclosed volumetric space of the shell. 4. The system as in claim 2, wherein the impeller is a tickler impeller, the tickler impeller having at least two curved blades mounted on the rotatable shaft for rotation in the inlet plenum of the inlet portion of the heat exchanger such that a nearest portion of the tickler impeller, or a pulse-effecting portion thereof, is within an unobstructed pulsing-effective distance from the inlet apertures of the inlet ends of the tubes; the curved blades of the tickler impeller extending away from the inlet ends of the tubes at an angle, from a geometric plane having the inlet ends, of from 0° to less than 90°, each of the curved blades having a concave face which faces towards the inlet ends of the tubes and a convex face opposite the concave face which convex face faces away from the inlet ends of the tubes; the concave face leading and convex face trailing when the tickler impeller is rotated, thereby establishing the sequentially pulsable fluid communication between the means for sequentially pulsing a plurality of liquid flows, or the pulse-effecting portion thereof, and, successively, the inlet apertures of the inlet ends of the tubes, the enclosed volumetric spaces of the tubes, and the outlet apertures of the outlet ends of the tubes. 5. A method of exchanging heat between a process fluid and a heat exchange fluid, the method comprising steps of: (a) providing the chemical processing system of claim 1;(b) passing the heat exchange fluid from the source of the heat exchange fluid through the shell-side flow pathway of the heat exchanger apparatus to the heat exchange fluid effluent receiving means, all of the chemical processing system, thereby establishing a shell-side flow of the heat exchange fluid through the heat exchanger apparatus;(c) simultaneously with step (b), pushing the process fluid from the source of the process fluid through the tube-side flow pathway of the heat exchanger apparatus to the process fluid effluent receiving means, all of the chemical processing system, thereby establishing a tube-side flow at an average flow rate of the process fluid through the heat exchanger apparatus, wherein each tube independently is characterized as having a tube-specific flow rate of the process fluid therethrough; and(d) sequentially pulsing the tube-side flow of the process fluid through the enclosed volumetric spaces of the tubes of the heat exchanger apparatus of the chemical processing system, the pushing and sequentially pulsing together thereby establishing a plurality of sequentially-pulsed, tube-side flows of the process fluid through the enclosed volumetric spaces of the tubes and steps (b) and (c) together establishing an indirect exchange of heat between the process fluid and the heat exchange fluid via the walls of the tubes of the heat exchanger apparatus. 6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the process fluid is pushed at an average flow rate and tube-specific flow rates in at least two tubes independently are from about 0.1 times to about 5.0 times the average flow rate. 7. The method as in claim 5, wherein the process fluid in the tubes is characterized by a Reynolds number ranging from about 1 to about 10,000. 8. The method as in claim 5, the method producing a flow of process fluid characterizable by a significant flow component that is inwardly directed away from the shell of the heat exchanger apparatus and translates into increased axially-directed flow of process fluid towards the inlet ends of the tubes in such a way so as to produce substantially evenly distributed flow rates of process fluid through the tubes when flow rates in different tubes are compared to each other and the reduced rate of, or longer time to, fouling of the tubes, respectively. 9. A heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a process fluid and a heat exchange fluid, the heat exchanger comprising: a tube-side flow pathway; an inlet plenum and a plurality of tubes defines the tube-side flow pathway; each of the plurality of tubes includes an inlet aperture and an inner diameter;a source of the process fluid; the process fluid entering the inlet plenum pump-pressurized and flowing at a pumping flow rate; the source of the process fluid is in sequential fluid communication with the tube-side flow pathway in the heat exchanger apparatus;an impeller is carried within the inlet plenum; the impeller includes an impeller blade oriented perpendicularly to the length of the tubes; the impeller rotates whereby the impeller blade temporarily distributes more process fluid to some of the plurality of tubes and temporarily distributes less process fluid to other of the plurality of tubes while maintaining a net flow rate of the plurality of tubes at the pumping flow rate. 10. The heat exchanger of claim 9, further comprising an unobstructed pulsing-effective distance is defined as the distance between the impeller and the inlet aperture; the unobstructed pulsing-effective distance is less than or equal to 0.1 to 4.0 times an average of the inner diameters of the plurality of tubes. 11. The heat exchanger of claim 9, wherein both the impeller and the pump provide a motive force to the process fluid. 12. The heat exchanger of claim 11, a backflow speed is defined as the speed of rotation at which the impeller moves more fluid than is provided by the pump; the impeller rotates at or below the backflow speed.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (9)
Edmundson Charles W. (Leawood KS), Baffling arrangements for contactors.
Kingsley Jeffrey Paul ; Adis Mitchell ; Purkert Friedrich E., Process for producing aliphatic acids using a reactor system having a shell and a tube reactor configuration to force circulation of reaction liquid.
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